"poor women gave birth unassisted beneath the walls, and good
compassionate people in the town drew up the new-born in baskets to have
them baptized, and afterwards lowered them down to their mothers to die
together." Fifteen thousand men of city-militia, four thousand regular
soldiers, three hundred spearmen and as many archers from Paris, and it
is not quite known how many men-at-arms sent by the Duke of Burgundy,
defended Rouen for more than five months amidst all the usual sufferings
of strictly-besieged cities. "As early as the beginning of October,"
says Monstrelet, "they were forced to eat horses, dogs, cats, and other
things not fit for human beings;" but they nevertheless made frequent
sorties, "rushing furiously upon the enemy, to whom they caused many a
heavy loss." Four gentlemen and four burgesses succeeded in escaping and
going to Beauvais, to tell the king and his council about the deplorable
condition of their city. The council replied that the king was not in a
condition to raise the siege, but that Rouen would be relieved "within"
on the fourth day after Christmas. It was now the middle of December.
The Rouennese resigned themselves to waiting a fortnight longer; but,
when that period was over, they found nothing arrive but a message from
the Duke of Burgundy recommending them "to treat for their preservation
with the King of England as best they could." They asked to capitulate.
Henry V. demanded that "all the men of the town should place themselves
at his disposal." "When the commonalty of Rouen heard this answer, they
all cried out that it were better to die all together sword in hand
against their enemies than place themselves at the disposal of yonder
king, and they were for shoring up with planks a loosened layer of the
wall inside the city, and, having armed themselves and joined all of them
together, men, women, and children, for setting fire to the city,
throwing down the said layer of wall into the moats, and getting them
gone by night whither it might please God to direct them." Henry V. was
unwilling to confront such heroic despair; and on the 13th of January,